A nice in-betweener
Although the game is fully 3D it only offers you a limited path to fly from the left to the right of the screen, which make it feel like a 2D side scroller. This in combination with some really nice graphics really lifts this title into the new millennium.
The premise of the game is still the same; pick up injured people whilst flying in a war zone. This has been mixed a little with a zombie flavour and an annoying reporter, but the idea is still the same.
You can unlock certain features or new helicopters by gaining as much stars on a level out a maximum of five. The more stars you'll get, the faster you can progress to newer levels and equipment. This adds a little replay value to the levels whereas in your first attempt you'll have to rush through a level because of the time limit. Once you've unlocked speedier models you can focus more on getting a good score.
I must admit that the difficulty can be relentless, but since the game is highly scripted you can learn how to get through a level without taking to much damage. Tanks, AA guns, cars and other enemies always attack from the same spot, have the same scripted route and so on. I guess this is a little like the games from the eighties. Your best skill was to know how to play the game.
The sound is repetitive with some "humorous" comments. Nothing really special here, but at least it is appropriate to the surroundings.
To summarize this, I can say that the game is ok in it's price range. I play this for 15 minutes, 30 minutes max at a time and than I'll go do something else. This is a game to play in short bursts rather than to get addicted and sucked in it. It's simple yet challenging enough to satisfy your mindless 2D shooter needs.